QUENTIN ROUX / Staff

Island Woman store owner Fia Kaplan carries a truly eclectic variety of clothing, hats and keepsakes, mostly linked to her business neighbor, Stan's Idle Hour Restaurant in Goodland. The store, she said, had a busy July 4 weekend, with hundreds of visitors filtering through the store looking for local memorabilia and clothing. She closes for the months of August and September for a well-earned hiatus, but returns (with the ever-present smile) in October in anticipation of the new busy season.

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Museum grant depends on quick action

Businesses on Marco Island are being asked to provide letters of support for the Marco Island Historical Society’s museum effort.

The society needs the letters to secure a grant of $500,000 for the building of the historical museum, says capital campaign co-chair Betsy Perdichizzi.

“The Florida Division of Cultural Affairs has just notified us that a small window of grant opportunity has opened up and we have until next week to submit the grant application,” Perdichizzi said in an e-mail. “We have been told that letters of support from local leaders are critical.”

Time is short, because Perdichizzi says she needs responses by Saturday this week.

She has examples of the letter, which can be picked up physically by calling her at 394-6917, or by contacting her at betsyperd@naples.net.

The Historical Society has raised $3.177 million toward the $4.5 million needed to construct the 15,500-square-foot facility, which includes a 12,400-square-foot history museum and living history hall as well as a 3,200-square-foot building for staff and collections. The museum will be valued at $9 million dollars.

Hard facts on software

Software, as all business people know only too well, can be tricky.

But, unlock its potential, and the advantages will bring smiles to their faces and bucks to their bottom lines.

With this in mind, accounting firm president Al Wagner will talk about QuickBooks potential from 6:30 p.m. onwards July 16 at Orion Bank.

Wagner, of Independent Accounting Office of Marco Island, will talk about how to use inventory, recording vendor bills, tracking payment checks and entering customer payments.

Specifics he will cover are recording customers’ bounced checks, using online banking and downloads, how detailed one should be when using QuickBooks, how and what do you reconcile, how to enter petty cash receipts and expenses and how to build and enter a budget?

Wagner will also take questions.

Booking is essential. Call 403-5169.

Realtor reaps accolades

Ted Busch, an agent with Keller Williams on Marco Island, was recently recognized for being the number five top selling agent nationally for the month of April 2008 by Keller Williams International.

His achievement is put in perspective by the fact that there are more than 79,000 Keller Williams agents in the United States and Canada.

Company board vice chair Mo Anderson said in a release that Busch had set his professional goals, and was “taking full advantage of the opportunities ... in today’s challenging market.”

Busch has 15 years’ experience and was formerly a member of the Chicago Board of Trade.

Local company team leader Ken Gandy voiced his praise for Busch as well as his wife Fran.